Hugh Brennan Scott Symons (July 13, 1933 – February 23, 2009), known professionally as Scott Symons, was a Canadian writer. He was most noted for his novels Place d'Armes and Civic Square, among the first works of LGBT literature ever published in Canada, as well as a personal life that was often plagued by scandal and interpersonal conflict. at a time when this was very difficult, publishing his first novel, Place d'Armes, which dealt directly with homosexuality, two years before gay sex was decriminalized in Canada. He was an avid diarist, and many of his observations and episodes from his life found their way into his novels.
One night while practicing in the gymnasium, he fell off the high bar and broke his back, and was immobilized in a body cast for several months. Taylor was his best man. Its critical reception has improved over time; in 2005, the Literary Review of Canada named Place d'Armes as one of the 100 most important books in Canadian literary history.
He followed up in 1969 with Civic Square, a novel whose working title The Smugly Fucklings was nixed by publisher Jack McClelland. The novel was noted for its unconventional form—a series of polemical letters addressed to "Dear Reader"—and presentation; 848 pages in length, it was neither typeset nor bound, but rather the original handwritten manuscript was duplicated by Gestetner, hand-decorated by Symons and then packaged in a blue box which was wrapped in white ribbon and emblazoned with a wax seal, with the title stamped on the box in silver ink.
Despite this, Symons was hurt by the process of divorcing Judith, often insisting that he still loved her and wanted to stay married to her even if his actual conduct suggested otherwise.
He and McConnell broke up soon afterward. In 1979, he published a series of essays in The Globe and Mail under the title "Canada: A Loving Look". He was also a regular contributor to The Body Politic.
His third and final novel, Helmet of Flesh, was published in 1986. The novel had been sent to Dennis Lee for editing several years before it was published. Although purportedly the first book of a trilogy, no follow-up books to Helmet of Flesh have been published. and Dear Reader: Selected Scott Symons, an anthology of his published and unpublished writings edited by Christopher Elson.
He published a few journalism pieces in the National Post and worked on an unpublished novella, Kali's Dance.
Bibliography
- Place d'Armes (1967; reissued 2010 )
- Civic Square (1969; reissued 2007 )
- Heritage: A Romantic Look at Early Canadian Furniture (1971, ) <small>featuring photographs by John de Visser and a preface by George Grant</small>
- Helmet of Flesh (1986, )
- Dear Reader: Selected Scott Symons (1998, ) <small>ed. Christopher Elson</small>